United Left
United Left (UL) is a left-wing Lovian political party formed in 2013 by Justin Abrahams and Marcus Villanova. The party is considered to be center-left, but includes moderate leftists to socialists. Like its predecessor, Labour Party, United Left was formed from a merger. The party was formed by some members of the Social Christian Party, including Abrahams, the local Newhaven People's Party and the Labour Party, led by Villanova. After two months of various discussions the leaders agreed that the ideology of the Party would be "broadly left" allowing social liberals, progressives, social democrats and socialists to support the Party and have their voices heard through membership votes and use of a small United Congress. Currently, the party has 13 seats in Congress, and is lead by Justin Abrahams who has been in Congress since 2011. Deputy Leader George Wrexley is a new politician on the Lovian political landscape. History Foundings and early history The Party was founded out of a merger of three different political groups. The first a following of Justin Abrahams out of and in Congress which wielded some good political power. This group previously tried separating from the Labour Party but would return under the formation of a new party. The Labour Party itself was a powerful group in Congress once the power represented party inside Congress. It saw the merger with Justin Abrahams' group and the small Newhaven People's Party as a great opportunity to restart the movement on the left and to get people excited about social democracy and support leftist politics. The Party was officially founded on July 25th, 2013. Some on the conservative right political spectrum thought this was more as a ploy to reinvent the left while still sticking to the same views. Marcus and Justin said these claims were false and it was a true re-start for the left to have a true leftist Party in the national spotlight. Natsionalistiski Parti 'Oshenna and United Left signed a pact together like the Labour Party did to allow the NPO to run candidates as an affiliate of United Left in Oceana. In the 2013 State elections, United Left were the overall winners, with Marcus Villanova being elected Governor of Clymene and deputy leader Marcel Cebara elected Governor of Kings. Meanwhile, party leader Justin Abrahams was voted in as deputy Governor of Oceana. Representation The Party which merged in 2013 had already recieved political representation from its first day due to said merger. This included some independents from Justin Abrahams's caucus and following and Labour Party members. In addition it was able to take the seats the LP and independent candidates had won in the Sylvania State Council elections by combining the 8 Labour seats and the 6 independent seats in the Council of Representatives and four of Labour's Senate seats. Party Policies The Party Policies of the United Left are documented in the Yearly Manifesto. The first manifesto was published in early August of 2013 and is expected to be edited to reflect the changing political landscape every time a Federal Election occurs. In January 2014, the party published their platform and policies for the Federal Elections, 2014. Devolution *UL supports the right of states to establish democratically elected state councils *UL supports the devolution of some federal executive powers to state governments Education *UL believes that higher education should be accessible to every citizen, and as such the party supports lowering and putting a cap on university tuition fees Environment *UL believe that the environment should be protected, and as such will support any bill that protects the environment *UL supports the creation of more national parks and protected areas to conserve Lovia's natural environment Foreign affairs *UL believe that Lovia should forge close economic and diplomatic relations with countries around the world *UL believe that Lovia should continue to be a member of the IWO and forge trade links with other member states Healthcare *UL believe that Lovia should have a universal healthcare system that is paid for through general taxation *UL support the construction of more hospitals and clinics, particularly in settlements without sufficent medical facilities Immigration *UL encourages and supports immigration where it will be of benefit to the country LGBT rights *UL believe in full equality for LGBT people, and as such support the rights of LGBT people to marry and adopt children *UL will support any law that tackles discrimination based on sexual orientation Party Rules and issues Labour Union connections The United Left Party Constitution states that the Party is not affiliated to any Trade Union group, business, or lobbying group. Marcus stated three days before the founding of the Party, that United Left would be the "perfect leftist Party", it would allow members from social liberalism, third way, socialism, progressivism, and social democracy to join in one Party and all see there views expressed in one Party. He went on to say that because of this the Party would not be affiliated with any Unions unless the United Congress and a Party referendum agreed to be affiliated with the Unions in Lovia. Party Membership A few days after the founding of the Party a quick membership census was taken. With the usual spots were progressive candidates win, former Labour Party strongholds, and new areas showed that the UL had some strong support in Sylvania, Kings, and Clymene. Membership cards, valid for a minimum of five years, cost 15 dollars per member. A Youth membership can be purchased for 5 dollars, and allows members to be in United Youth. A Youth membership lasts until you reach age 18. Category:Political party Category:United Left